If, for the past five days, you’ve been under rock (or unable to catch up on the news due to load shedding – thanks Eskom) a number of Vodacom stores were damaged and vandalised, allegedly by EFF members after veteran ANC politician and Corruption Watch chairperson Mavuso Msimang criticised the party during an awards ceremony.

Speaking at the Vodacom Journalist of the Year ceremony last week, Msimang – using an image of EFF leaders Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu to illustrate his point – said the party’s behaviour was “nothing if not a blatant abuse of democracy”.

Msimang’s speech – which centred on the advances and abuses of democracy in South Africa – made mention of other individuals and organisations, but it was the reference to the EFF which got critics and supporters of the party talking. Even days later some high-profile leaders and commentators are still working their thumbs on Twitter, tagging, replying and retweeting.